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Time waits for one man

Plot:

A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher. Full summary » | Full synopsis »

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Trivia:

In a deleted scene (included on the DVD), Ben Wade tells Byron McElroy, "I heard that your boss, Al Pinkerton, got an infection from biting his own tongue. And he died last month. Is that true?" Allan Pinkerton did die from an infected bite on his tongue, on July 1, 1884. This would place the events of the movie as occurring in August, 1884.See more »

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Charlie Prince enters the corral in Contention, the weathered boards are held together with shiny new nails that have a gold-colored coating.See more »

I saw this film last night at a preview in the lead up to the Toronto
International Film Festival. Having never been a big western fan (with
a few exceptions - Shane, High Noon, The Wild Bunch) and having been
rather indifferent to Walking The Line, James Mangold's last
directorial effort, my expectations were modest, despite the hype that
the film has received. But I was duly impressed. The action and tension
remain constant throughout but, more importantly, the plot is
compelling and the acting is terrific. No doubt many will be impressed
by Ben Foster's affected performance as Russell Crowe's loyal but
psychopathic sidekick (think Johnny Depp in the Pirate movies) but to
my taste it was much too over the top in a cast that offered a number
of subtle and well thought out performances.

Russell Crowe is brilliant as the arrogant, amoral outlaw Ben Wade and
Christian Bales infuses his role as a beleaguered rancher and Civil War
veteran with just the right mix of pathos and dignity. Iy was wonderful
to see Peter Fonda be given a role in which he was allowed to
demonstrate his genuine talent, much too long hidden away. In my view,
though, it is Logan Lerman who most deserves the accolades that will
certainly come his way. He plays Bales' teenage son who comes of age in
the course of the film. Initially disillusioned with a father whom he
sees as drudge and a failure, he eventually recognizes his father as
the hero he is (or at least becomes).

Cinematically, this film ranks up there with the best westerns of all
time. It is consistently beautiful to watch and captures the expanse
and majesty of the American west as well as any movie I've ever seen.

In many respects this is a traditional western (it is a remake, after
all). They really don't make movies like this much anymore and it will
be interesting to see whether it finds an audience in this era of
dumbed down teen comedies and quirky slices of dysfunctional modern
life. I wish it well.

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